A body piercing is exactly that: a pierced or puncture made in your body by a needle. After that, a piece of jewelry is inserted into the puncture. The more popular pierced body parts see to be the ears, the nostrils, and the belly button.
If the person performing the piercing provides a safe, clean, and professional environment, this is what you can expect from getting a body part pierced:
- the area you’ve chosen to be pierced (except for the tongue) is cleaned with germicidal soap (a soap that kills disease-causing bacteria and microorganisms)
- your skin is then punctured with a very sharp, sterile needle.
- the piece of jewellery, which has already been sterilized, is attached to the area
- the person performing the piercing disposes of the needle in a special container so that here is no risk of the needle touching someone else
- the pierced area is cleaned
- the person performing the piercing checks and adjusts the jewellery
- the person performing the piercing gives you instructions on how to make sure your new piercing heals correctly and what to do if there is a problem
Body piercings tend to have two or more names. The first is almost always based on the anatomy itself, and in the case of a basic piercing, it may be the only name in common use (i.e. naval piercing). In addition to the anatomical name, many piercings often have descriptive or proper names as well.
It’s also a good idea to ask about the types of jewelry the shop offers because some people have allergic reactions to certain types of metals. Before you get a piercing, make sure you know if you’re allergic to any metals. Only nontoxic metals should be used with body piercings, such as:
- surgical steel
- solid 14-karat or 18-karat gold
- niobium
- titanium
- platinum
If all goes well, you should be fine after a body piercing except for some temporary symptoms, including some pain.